The invention relates to methods of construction and materials for acoustic stringed musical instruments.
Acoustic stringed instruments, such as traditional acoustic guitars, are made almost entirely of wood. Fine-grained soft woods, principally spruce, red cedar and redwood, are used for soundboard construction in high quality classical guitars, with the sides and back often made of rosewood. Grand concert instruments with exquisite tonal qualities can be produced by traditional methods. However, wooden instruments are inherently vulnerable to the elements, particularly humidity, moisture and heat. There have been many attempts in recent years to make guitars and other acoustic stringed instruments out of synthetic materials which are intended to perform acoustically in the same manner as wood. Some of these attempts focus on low cost substitutes for wood to eliminate the painstaking craftsmanship required for constructing fine guitars. The focus of the present application is on high performance materials and techniques which mimic as closely as possible the acoustic properties of the various materials and techniques used in fine classical guitars while producing an instrument which is impervious to weather. The same principles are applicable to construction of other acoustic stringed instruments including, for example, the violin family.